John Murphy is the only Irish man who tees it up in Denmark on Thursday for the DP World Tour’s Made In HimmerLand tournament following two tough weeks, with two missed cuts in a row at the British Masters and BMW International Open.
But the 25 year-old will be hoping to get back in the swing of things this week as the field is not as tough as it was with the two bigger tourneys of the past two weeks.
Elsewhere, the Danes will hope to prosper this week on their home soil and the high-flying Thorbjørn Olesen would love nothing more than to be a Danish winner of the event that makes its last visit to HimmerLand this week.
The Farsø venue will play host to Denmark’s national event for the eighth and final time following a glittering history, but the course has not produced a Danish champion since the first visit in 2014.
Seven-time DP World Tour winner Olesen is the highest-ranked Danish player in the field this week, currently sitting 91st in the Official World Golf Ranking and is already a winner on the 2023 Race to Dubai having triumphed in February’s Thailand Classic.
Speaking ahead of the tournament start, Olesen said: “Coming back to Denmark, it’s always been special.
“The amount of support and everything we’ve got here in the past. I’m sure it’s going to be great this year, it’s special to play at home.
“There’s obviously always, always a little bit more pressure. You want to do well at home.
“We still haven’t got a Danish winner here, so it would be special if one of us could do it this week.
“For all of us it’s just exciting to be here and we will try to do our best.
The top-ranked golfer in Denmark is joined by a plethora of Danish talent in this week’s field, including Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard, who have five DP World Tour victories between them, Søren Kjeldsen, Jeff Winther and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who finished in a tie for seventh on his first DP World Tour start at the BMW International Open.
Spain’s Pablo Larrazábal, already a two-time winner in 2023, is the highest-ranked player in the field as he goes in search of his third victory of the season to strengthen his Ryder Cup chances with the biennial contest under three months away.
Fresh from a runner-up finish in last week’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at The Belfry, England’s Oliver Wilson returns to HimmerLand to defend the emotional title that ended an almost eight-year wait for victory last year.
KidsAid, the charity who supports sick and vulnerable children in Denmark as well as their families, will again be the charitable beneficiary of Made in HimmerLand. Spectators will be given the opportunity to purchase plastic ducks, which have become synonymous with the event, with all proceeds going directly to KidsAid.
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